Unit frame mounting means



April 2, 1957 C. S. HENDERSON ETAL UNIT FRAME MOUNTING MEANS Fileq Oct.12, 1953 INVENTOR'.

ci YD s. HENDERSON BY skpama. E. AXE

72 GQM'VW UNIT FRAll/IE MOUNTING MEANS Cloyd S. Henderson and Daniel E.Axe, De Witt, N. Y.,

assignors to The 0. M. Edwards Company, Inc, Syracuse, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application October 12, 1953, Serial No. 385,498

3 Claims. (Cl. 189--64) This invention relates to window constructionsfor vehicles such as busses, railway cars and the like, and hasparticular reference to an improved unit frame mounting means for suchwindow constructions.

Heretofore, it has been the practice of manufacturers of busses, railwaycars, taxi cabs and the like to purchase their window frame and sashrequirements in disassembled form and to assemble them in their vehiclesas the latter neared completion. This practice had numerousdisadvantages, among which were the high cost of labor in assembling andinstalling the frames and sash and the frequent failure of the windowassembly to operate satisfactorily after having been installed. Thus,even though the frame and sash elements had been carefully manufacturedto close tolerances for specified window openings by the supplier,distortion of the window openings due to welding or riveting of thevehicle panels or improper installation, or both, caused poor operationof the window assembly, as for example where it contained a movablesash.

To eliminate some of the disadvantages of the abovedescribedinstallation method, the more recent practice has been to install theframe and sash as an assembled unit furnished in properly assembled formby the supplier. This, of course, in the case of a movable sash, insuresthat the sash will raise or lower or otherwise move as it should. Theconventional way of attaching these window assemblies at the presenttime is to secure them by screws or rivets to the panels or postssurrounding the window openings in the vehicle. This latter procedure,however, entails further difliculties because the vehicle has alreadybeen painted by the time the window assemblies are installed and theoperation of riveting or screwing invariably results in mars orscratches in the finish whenever a workman is the least bit careless.And since the mars and scratches must be touched up after the windowassembly has been installed, more manhours are re quired to do the joband the cost is higher than it should be. It should be noted at thispoint, perhaps, that the reason the vehicle must be painted before theinstallation of the Window assemblies is because if the latter wereinstalled first they would have to be completely masked which is timeconsuming and expensive. In addition, the paint baking oven might causedistortion in the glass or cause the plastic safety sheet between theglass plates to cloud over.

The present invention overcomes the aforementioned problems anddifiiculties by providing a very simple unit frame mounting meanswhereby a frame and sash assembly may be quickly and easily secured as aunit in a window opening without the use of fastening screws or rivets.Briefly stated, this improved mounting means comprises a window frameassembly formed with a continuous external retaining channel or grooveand a resilient retaining strip which compressively engages the channeland adjacent vehicle panels to hold the frame and its sash assembly ininstalled position. Since no screws or rivets are needed and the actualholding member is of resilient material, the window assembly can beinstalled with a minimum amount of damage to the finish of the freshlypainted vehicle. Furthermore, the installation can be accomplished in afraction of the time reqired by present methods and the job can be doneby an unskilled worker so that the saving in labor costs is substantial.The invention also greatly facilitates the replacement or repair of thewindow assemblies whenever such becomes necessary, and this ease ofreplacement or repair enables maintenance time and expense to be kept ata minimum. An additional advantage of the improved mounting means thatis very important is that the window assembly is flexibly mounted withrespect to the vehicle body which means that any twisting or distortionin the body due to bumpy roads is not transmitted to the assembly as isthe case when the latter is rigidly mounted. This, of course, eliminatesany serious distortion in the unit frame and thus insures ease of sashoperation and minimum glass breakage.

With the foregoing and other considerations in view, it is the primaryobject of this invention to provide an improved and greatly simplifiedmounting means for securing a unit window frame and its sash assembly ina window opening.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a unit framemounting means which eliminates the need for fastening screws, rivets orthe like.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved mounting meanswhich enables a unit frame to be quickly and easily mounted in a windowopening by unskilled labor.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved unit framemounting means which enables the frame and its sash assembly to bequickly and easily removed from the window opening to permit replacementor repair.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, and from the appended claims. The accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference numerals are used to designate similarparts throughout, illustrate typical embodiments for the purpose ofdisclosing the invention. The drawings, however, are not to be taken ina limiting or restrictive sense since it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various changes in the illustrated constructionsmay be resorted to without in any way exceeding the scope of theinvention.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of a unit frame and sash assembly mountedin a vehicle window opening in accordance with the improved mountingmeans of the invention, the elevation being taken from the outside ofthe vehicle.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken along line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken along line 4--4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlargement of the frame retaining channel sectionillustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 6 is an enlargement of the retaining strip section illustrated inFigure 3.

Figure 7 is an enlarged transverse section through a modified form ofthe frame retaining channel and retaining strip.

Figure 8 is an enlarged transverse section through another modificationof the frame retaining channel and retaining strip.

Figure 9 is a transverse section illustrating the manner in which themounting means of the invention might be applied to -afdiEEt'QDt typeofnnit frame and sash assembly than that shownin Figures 1-3.

Haying reference now to the drawings, and in particularto Figures 1,2and 3, the assembled unit frame and sash assembly are indicatedgenerally at 10 in Figure 1, and are shown asthey might be mounted inthe window opening of a vehicle such as a bus. Surrounding the windowassembly 10 are panels 11 comprising the exterior wall of the bus, andindicated above the window assembly at 12 is a conventional standeewindow, the construction of which plays no part of this invention.

The unit frame 14 is preferably formed of some material such asextrudedaluminum, and may have a cross section as indicated in Figures 2' and 3for a single glazed movable sash. It should be understood, however, thatother than as hereinafter specifically pointed out, the frame may haveany conformation necessary to support single or double glazed, fixed ormovable sash, and it is not intended that the invention be confined toany particular frame conformation or sash arrangement. As illustratedfor the purposes of disclosure, the sash assembly in Figures 1-3 is asingle glazed, movable sash comprising laminated sheet glass 15, sashglazing rubber 17 and la sash frame 18, all of which are conventional.Sash frame 18 is provided with weather stripping 20 which receives theguide rib 21 on the frame 14.

In accordance with the invention, the unit frame 14 is provided with achannel forming extension which projects outwardly from the frametowards the exterior of the bus or other vehicle. This extension is madeintegral with the unit frame either by fixedly securing a separateextension element to the frame or by forming the frame and extensionfrom a single piece of material. The extension in either case forms acontinuous retaining channel22 adjacent the periphery of the windowopening when the frame is mounted therein. Channel 22 opens towards thecenter of the window opening and has an outer wall 24 that issubstantially parallel to the plane of said opening.

The window opening of the bus l' Slm llal.V'6hlClC is defined bythe-structural members thereof as for example the adjacent side post 25,Figure 3, and bordering panels 11 which maybe secured to outwardlyturned flanges 26 on the post as by welding. The bottom of the windowopening may be defined as shown in Figure 2v by outer and inner panels11 and 11a, respectively, welded or otherwise secured together as -at27. Theunit. frame 14 andits sash assembly are inserted in thewindowopening from the interior of the vehicle and the. outer Wall 24 ofthe retaining channel 22 is positioned against the marginal portions ofthe posts and panels adjacent the window'op'ening. The frame and sashassembly are securely held in this position by means ofa .resilientretaining strip 28 of some suitable material such as rubher, whichstripcompressively engages the .outcr channel wall 24 and marginalportions of the posts and panels in the manner described hereinafter.

Referring now particularly to Figure 6 wherein the retaining strip 28 isshown :in section, it will be seen that the strip is substantiallyU-shaped or G-sh-aped in cross sectionand comprises a pair of legs 30,31 joined together by a back portion 32. The legs and back portiondefine a channel or groove 34 between the legs, and the strip is of suchmaterialand ,soforrned that'the end 35 of leg 31 is resiliently biasedtowards leg 30 so that the open side of groove 34 is'considerablynarrower than the closed side thereof when the strip is in its normalcondition. Leg 30 is substantially equal in thickness to the width ofthe retaining channel 22 and is provided on one side thereof with aseries of projections or barbs 37. The inner wall 38, Figure 5, ofchannel 22 is similarly provided with a series of barbs 40 which,however, project in a direction opposite to that of =the barbs 37 on thestrip.

When the frame and sash assembly are positioned in the window openingwith outer channel wall 24 abutting the marginal portions of the postsand panels adjacent the opening as above described, the leg 30 of strip28 is inserted in the channel 22 in such a manner that the outer channelwall 24 and marginal portions of the vehicle structural members extendinto groove 34 and leg 31 [is forced outwardly to overlie the outersurfaces of the panel marginal portions as is best shown in Figures. 3and 9. Since the projections or barbs 37, 44) on leg 30 and channel wall38 are oppositely disposed, it will be apparent thatbarbs 37, will slideover barbs 4-0 while leg 30 is being positioned in the channel but willinterlock when the legis inserted all the way. This interlocking action,which is aided by the fact that leg 30 must be slightly compressed toget it into the channel, serves to effectively hold the leg in insertedposition and prevent its removal except by deliberate, positive action.At the same time, the leg 31 which overlies the outer surfaces ofpanels'll will tend to squeeze or compress the outer channel wall-24 andpanels together since it is normally resiliently biased inwardly asshown in Figure '6. Thus the double holding action resulting from thecoaction of channel, structural members and retaining strip serves, whenthe strip is applied around the periphery ofth-e window opening, tosecurely mount the unit frame and sash assembly in the opening withoutthe use of screws, rivets or the like. Retaining strip 28 is alsoprovided with a projecting lip 41, Figure 6, at the inner cornerthereof, and when the strip is properly inserted in channel 22 this lipwill fit below a narrow flange 41a, Figures Zand 5, on the inner wall 38of the channel and will insure an efiective seal between the strip andchannel and prevent any moisture from gaining entrance into the channelor between the latter and the adjacent vehicle structural members.Flange 41a serves to indicate to la workman that the retaining strip 28is properly inserted when the lip 41 fits therebelow, and, in addition,reacts with the barbs .37, 40 to hold the strip securely in ;position.It should also be. noted here that the outer leg 31 of strip 28functions as a suitable outer finish or garnish moulding around thewindow assembly as well as exerting a compressive holding force on thechannel and panels.

Since, the construction illustrated in Figures l-3 provides for avertically movable sash assembly, the sides or uprights of the unitframe 14 must extend above the top of the window .openingra's indicatedat 42 to provide a guide for the sash ..as .it is raised and lowered.The sashmay be moved and adjusted in any desired position by well knownmeans, for example by levers 43 mounted on sash frame 18, which leversactuate a pawl (not shown) engageable with stops 44 on the frameuprights. In order to permit the frame uprights to extend .above thewindow opening as guides, and at the same time provide a continuousretaining channel adjacent the periphery of the window opening as calledfor hereinabove, a separate channel forming extension 45 is mountedbetween the frameuprights adjacent the top of the window .opening andthis extension or rail provides a channel 22a, Figures 2 and 4, whichcommunicates-with and-.forrnsa continuation of the channel 22.

While the major portion of rail-45 is straight and extends horizontallybetweentheframe uprights, the end portions thereof are curved downwardlyinan arc of substantially the same nadiusqasthe arc at thecorners of thewindow opening, Figure 1, and the downwardly extending ends are secured.toxtheframe.uprightsat-.47 as by screws 48 or rivets. The inner..wall;;5.0 of the channel 22a is substantially thinner :than sthe .inner,wall 3 8 of channel 22, and the latter .is; thereforemilled, away abovepoints 47 an amount/e ual 1011116 thickness ofwall 50, as may be-bestseen in Figures;2.and.4,,so-that;the,respective inner walls ofchannels; 22, and;22a will :lie in the same plane. As shown in Figure 2,rail 45 may be provided with Weatherstripping 51 abutting the top rail52 of the sash frame 18. It will be apparent that in the case of a fixedsash assembly a construction that is somewhat simpler than that justdescribed will suifice. For example, with :a fixed sash the extendedguides and sash lifting means will be unnecessary, and the top of theframe will correspond to the bottom and sides thereof and will engagethe top rail 52 of the sash frame. In such a construction, the retainingchannel can be made to extend continuously around the unit frame withoutthe need for a separate channel top rail as described hereinabove.

A modified form of channel and retaining strip is shown in Figure 7wherein the inner surfaces of both channel walls are provided withprojecting barbs 54, and the leg 34) of retaining strip 28 iscorrespondingly provided with oppositely projecting barbs '55 on bothsides thereof. A further modification is shown in Figure 8 wherein theinner surface of one channel wall and one side of leg are provided withcoaoting barbs 57, 58, respectively, while the inner surface of theopposite channel wall is provided with a single continuous rib 60 whichis received in a corresponding groove 61 on the opposite side of leg 3%.As will be readily understood, the additional interlocking means of theabove-described modifications result in exceptionally good holdingcharacteristics for application where such may be necessary ordesirable.

In Figure 9 the mounting means of the invention is shown as it might beapplied to a window assembly for a railway car. in this application, theframe unit 62 is adapted to support a double glazed, fixed sash assemblycomprising a pair of laminated glass panels 64 separated by a spacerelement 65 and held in position by weatherstripping 67 and a retainingstrip 68 positioned in channel 70. As in frame unit 14, the frame 62 isprovided with an outwardly extending retaining channel 71 which coactswith a retaining strip 72, panel '74 and posts 75 as describedhereinbefore to securely mount the frame and sash assembly in the windowopening. Since the frame and sash construction shown in Figure 9 wouldnormally be larger and heavier than that disclosed in Figures 1 and 3,its retaining strip 72 and channel 71 would, of course, also need to beproportionately larger in order to support the added weight.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the presentinvention provides a greatly improved unit frame mounting means whichmay be adapted to securely yet flexibly mount any type of frame and sashassembly in a vehicle window opening. Since this novel mounting means isof relatively simple construction and eliminates the need for fasteningscrews, rivets or the like, it permits easy, low cost windowinstallation with a minimum amount of damage to the finish of a freshlypainted vehicle. This invention may be embodied in other specific formswithout departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.The embodiments disclosed are therefore to be considered in all respectsas illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by U. S. Letters Patent is:

1. In a mounting means for detachably securing a unit window frame andsash assembly in a vehicle window opening without the use of screws,rivets or the like, said window opening being bordered by vehicle bodypanels;

a continuous window frame having top, bottom and side rails, acontinuous retaining channel formed with the rails of said window frameon the exterior side thereof, said frame being positioned inwardly ofsaid window opening with the outer wall of said channel abutting theinner surfaces of the marginal portions of the panels bordering saidwindow opening; and a resilient etaining strip of substantially U-shapedcross section having a first leg, a second leg the free end of which isresiliently biased towards the first leg and a relatively thick backportion joining said legs together, said first leg being positioned insaid window frame channel and said second leg extending over the edgesof the channel and said abutting body panels and overlying the outersurfaces of the latter to hold said channel and panels together wherebythe outer channel wall and marginal portions of said panels are confinedbetween the legs, said second leg being of sufficient size to compresssaid channel and marginal portions into tight engagement and securelyyet resiliently support said unit frame and sash assembly in the windowopening.

2. Structure as defined in claim 1 together with coacting holding meanson said first retaining strip leg and said channel walls to maintainsaid leg in position in said channel.

3. In a mounting means for detachably securing a unit window frame andsash assembly in a vehicle window opening without the use of screws,rivets or the like, said window opening being bordered by vehicle bodypanels; a continuous window frame having top, bottom and side rails, acontinuous retaining channel formed with the rails of said window frameon the exterior side thereof, said channel being located outwardly ofthe main plane of the sash assembly mounted in the window frame, saidframe being positioned inwardly of said window opening with the outerwall of said channel abutting the inner surfaces of the marginalportions of the panels bordering said window opening; and a resilientretaining strip of substantially U-shaped cross section having a firstleg, 2. second leg the free end of which is resiliently biased towardsthe first leg and a relatively thick back portion joining said legstogether, said first leg being positioned in said window frame channeland said second leg extending over the edges of the channel and saidabutting body panels and overlying the outer surfaces of the latter tohold said channel and panels together whereby the outer channel wall andmarginal portions of said panels are confined between the legs, saidsecond leg being of suflicient size and resiliency to compress saidchannel and marginal portions into tight engagement and securely yetresiliently support said unit frame and sash assembly in the windowopening; and coacting engaging means to fixedly maintain said retainingstrip in position in said frame channel comprising an upwardlyprojecting lip on the strip and a flange on said frame overlying saidlip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,175,909 Nelson Oct. 10, 1939 2,226,833 Rider Dec. 31, 1940 2,305,399Adams Dec. 15, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 535,926 Great Britain Apr. 25, 1941

